"Whatever matches MI lost, he had a role to play"- 5 times Irfan Pathan criticized Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is currently India's number-one pace-bowling all-rounder. He started his journey in Baroda, a region, which produced another top pace-bowling all-rounder for the country - Irfan Pathan.

Before Hardik, Pathan was the top pace-bowling all-rounder in India. He starred in the nation's T20 World Cup 2007 triumph and also won the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 with the Men in Blue.

While Hardik is yet to win an ICC trophy, he is a six-time IPL champion. After a successful two-year stint with Gujarat Titans, Hardik returned to Mumbai Indians in 2024 as the team's new skipper. However, the all-rounder has failed to make an impact as a player and a captain this season.

Several fans and cricket experts have shared their opinions on Hardik Pandya. Irfan Pathan is one of those experts, and he has criticized the MI skipper on multiple occasions. Here's a list of five such instances.

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#1 Irfan Pathan blames Hardik Pandya for MI's loss against CSK

Mumbai Indians suffered a defeat against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024 despite Rohit Sharma's century. MS Dhoni was the game-changer for CSK in that game. He smacked Hardik Pandya for three sixes in the 20th over of the Chennai innings.

Speaking on Star Sports Press Room after the game, Irfan Pathan slammed Hardik for his decision to bowl the last over when Akash Madhwal was available.

"Whatever matches MI had lost, he had a big role to play. Even yesterday, Aakash Madhwal didn't bowl the last over. You need to give a lot of responsibility to Aakash Madhwal. It's his job. If he is not going to bowl, then how will he have the confidence then," Pathan said.

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#2 Irfan Pathan questions Pandya's management skills on the ground

Last year, MI did not have Hardik Pandya or Jasprit Bumrah in the squad. Still, they made it to Qualifier 2, losing just before the final. This year, MI had both Hardik and Bumrah in the team. Yet, they stand on the verge of an early elimination from the tournament.

"The team Mumbai Indians that qualified last year didn’t had Jasprit Bumrah but this season they had his services. Still they are in this situation. Purely because the team wasn’t managed well on the ground. Too many mistakes by their captain Hardik Pandya. It’s the truth," Pathan said after MI's loss against Lucknow Super Giants.

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#3 Irfan Pathan thinks Hardik Pandya doesn't deserve special treatment

Hardik Pandya is the number one pace-bowling all-rounder in India. On his day, he can win matches for the team single-handedly. Some fans questioned if Hardik deserved a place in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

Sharing his thoughts on the same, Pathan said on Star Sports Press Room:

"Indian cricket needs to make it clear that they should not give him that much priority as they have given him so far because we still haven’t won the World Cup."

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#4 Irfan Pathan names Hardik Pandya as potential wink link of Mumbai Indians

Apart from the Star Sports press room, Pathan also shares his views on social media platforms.

In a video shared on his Instagram profile, the former Indian all-rounder labeled Hardik as the potential weak link of MI and said:

"Mumbai Indians is still a very good team on paper but being managed very poorly. Especially, if Hardik Pandya as a leader lacks form, he will become a weak link for his own team. What I am most worried about is that he is affecting his own hitting abilities. This is a matter of concern – even for the Indian team."

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#5 Irfan Pathan raises question marks over Hardik Pandya's hitting ability outside Wankhede Stadium

The deck at Wankhede Stadium helps the batters. However, not all the pitches are the same in IPL 2024, and the Mumbai Indians captain has struggled a bit outside the team's home ground.

Commenting on his struggle, Pathan wrote on X:

"Hardik Pandya’s hitting ability is going down. That’s a big worry on a larger picture. At the wankhede he is different but on pitches where there is little help is what is worrisome for him."

Mumbai Indians have four matches left in the IPL 2024 league stage. It will be interesting to see if Hardik Pandya and company can script a miraculous comeback in the tournament.